Space Cowboys Rally Past Jumbo Shrimp, Stay Perfect In Series

Gordon Retires 12 Straight In Dominant Performance

By Raymond Brown/Sugar Land Space Cowboys

April 2, 2026

JACKSONVILLE, FL – A shaky start turned into a statement win as the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (5-1) erased an early deficit and surged past the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (1-5) to stay perfect in the series with a 3-2 victory on Thursday night. Jacksonville struck early and applied pressure right

JACKSONVILLE, FL – A shaky start turned into a statement win as the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (5-1) erased an early deficit and surged past the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (1-5) to stay perfect in the series with a 3-2 victory on Thursday night.

Jacksonville struck early and applied pressure right out of the gate as the Jumbo Shrimp loaded the bases in the first inning. A lead-off single from Andrew Pintar followed by a walk and another base hit quickly set the tone before a pair of sacrifice flies gave Jacksonville a 2-0 lead.

Sugar Land responded in the third inning, manufacturing a rally to flip the game. After Kellen Strahm and Taylor Trammell each worked walks and advanced into scoring position, Jack Winkler delivered his second double of the game to get the Space Cowboys on the board. Moments later, Carlos Pérez kept the momentum rolling with a two-RBI double, scoring both runners and giving Sugar Land a 3-2 advantage.

Winkler gets us on the board 💥 pic.twitter.com/BGQmw62aNd
— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) April 3, 2026

After a shaky first inning, LHP Colton Gordon (W, 1-0) settled in and dominated, retiring 12 consecutive batters to keep Jacksonville off the board and preserve the lead.

The Space Cowboys bullpen took it from there, as RHP Amos Willingham, RHP Logan VanWey, RHP Christian Roa, and RHP Jayden Murray (S, 2) combined for a three-shutout innings of strong relief effort to secure the win. Sugar Land notched its fifth consecutive victory and remained undefeated in the series against Jacksonville.

NOTABLE:

After allowing the first three men to reach, Colton Gordon retired 12 consecutive batters as part of his 5.0 innings of two-run ball. Gordon has allowed three runs over 10.0 innings of work to open up his season.
IF Jack Winkler collected another multi-hit effort on Thursday going 2-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored. He has hit safety in all four games he has played.
Sugar Land pitchers are tied for second in the Pacific Coast League in strikeouts with 51.
Through six contests, the Space Cowboys have a 2.78 ERA as a staff, the lowest in the PCL. They also have a .181 batting average against, the lowest in the Pacific Coast League.

Sugar Land continues their Interleague series with Jacksonville on Friday. RHP Spencer Arrighetti is set to toe the slab opposite Jacksonville LHP Robby Snelling for a 6:05 pm CT first pitch. The game can be heard online anywhere at SLSpaceCowboys.com/Listen.

ABOUT THE SUGAR LAND SPACE COWBOYS:

The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros and compete in the Pacific Coast League. They began play as the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate in 2021 and began playing under the Space Cowboys brand in 2022, winning their first Triple-A title in 2024 by clinching both the Pacific Coast League Championship and Triple-A National Championship. The Space Cowboys play at Constellation Field, located at the corner of Hwy-6 and US-90 Alternate in Sugar Land, Texas. Follow the team on Twitter (@SLSpaceCowboys), Instagram (@slspacecowboys), Facebook (SLSpaceCowboys) and their official website (slspacecowboys.com). Season ticket plans for the 2026 season are available now and can be purchased at slspacecowboys.com/tickets.